Characterisation and optimisation of foams for varicose vein sclerotherapy

In this study we characterise the properties of foams used for varicose vein sclerotherapy. Their effectiveness is evaluated by predicting their yield stress and their flow profiles within a model of a vein. This information is represented using a Bingham number, which also takes into account the foam liquid fraction and the Sauter mean of the bubble size distribution. Based on this modelling, the most effective foams have a Bingham number B = 600 for a vein of diameter 2mm, in addition to a narrow bubble size distribution.
Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures